BURNING OUT THE LAMPAS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2505, 26 March 1902, Page 8

BURNING OUT THE LAMPAS.

At a meeting of the Australian Veterinary Medical .-Wocsatioii, held in Melbourne, th. following rep'v to a letter from the Victorian Society for the Protrctmn of Animals, atkmg for an expression of opinion on tlv subject, u-aa drawn up:--Tnat it is the opinion of this meeting that lair.prts is merely a congested btate of the palate- and gums due to teething, which i= often aggravated by hard, dry, and unsuitable food v.hen the horse m stable-kept. That lanipa^ 1- emly fomi'l 111 young hordes, and the only treatment ncees-ary ie to ccanfy or puncturo Aip parts to relie\e the < o'io;ct-teel \<--t>!«. an 1 the a])pliLatjon of a, l'ltle common 01 powdcied aium. and that a few lir.in ina-I'.'s and a mild dose of Ictxatr. c medicine will often c>i\c the ncees«aiy relief. That the apparent relief sometnnc'i suppo-ed to an~o from burning out a portion of the sensitive palate is duo to the animal being unable to eat for tome time 011 account of the ;-or n ne;?, consequently he gets hungry, and there 11 no wonder that he cats better when the pain lra\es him. That 111 aged hordes a condition Fimuiating lampas 1- -cmctimo^ met with, but this in most chCb 1- due to a dNordeircl state of tho c'igf-ti\e oa'iii]!, tho treatment for which ( oiiMst 1- in l.ixatne niedifine and cooling' ('n't. That the con«p{|iiencL'-> of binning out :> ])ortion of the palate aie. — '1. It ctuse* uniH'ce'-ary pain, and is therefore cruel. "2 It dcalioyi tho highly sensiti\o structures by mean- of which the animal discriminates the cliaiaeter of its food. "3. It caii>-e3 a raxity wlneh beeomos the ip(e])tac'e for particles of fooej, which decompnso. cau-mg ulceration of the gumb and sin offensive smell. "4. It contracts the gum 1; and make? tho lior-e look older than he i=, and consequently reduces Ins valiif. " 5. It limits the pmver of prehension, by 1 myalls of wl.ieh the animal gathers its food for mastication. "W. T Kekdvt.l. C V S.. ' Hon. Seeretaiy Veterinary Medical As^jciation.